


face it all together

by LesbianLucretia



Series: miles & matt, vigilantes at... crime? [2]
Category: Daredevil (Comics), Daredevil (TV), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Blood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Guns, Identity Reveal, It's Miles And Matt Time Again, Missions, Near Death Experiences, Not Team Red But Kind Of Team Red, Serious Injuries, Serious Talks, Stark Industries, Team Bonding, Team as Family, aint a gaykravitz fic without some good old grief/morning, falls - Freeform, injuries, stealth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-07-25 13:35:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20026675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbianLucretia/pseuds/LesbianLucretia
Summary: Miles gets into some deep trouble and accidentally drags Matt down with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ok just as a preface this is like, half of what i wrote for this and the other half doesnt have a whole lot going for it so i may or may not add onto this but it's really. really hard. because i got all my ideas and inspiration out in the first half that wouldve been 1/4th if i had finished it all. but i didnt. so im only posting this for now.
> 
> all spanish translations are in the end notes

When Matt’s phone begins to call out Miles’s name in the middle of the meeting, he politely excuses himself and goes into his office to answer it.

“Miles?” He says instead of ‘hi’, because it’s weird for Miles to call at this time. He knows of Matt’s day job, he’s been to his office, if he needs help with his night job he waits until at least sunset. It’s still _ morning _.

“Mr. Murdock,” Miles says. “I really need your help.”

\----

Miles really, really should have expected this. Like, really.

He knew that Dr. Octavius wasn’t arrested at Fisk Tower. He also knew that Alchemax had fired her in an effort to cover their tracks of being connected to Fisk.

So, _ really _, he should have known.

It doesn’t matter now, anyways. What matters is that a certain billionaire and weapons manufacturer has announced a new project of his that will change the world as we know it, and has the help of well known engineer and biologist Olivia Octavius. 

He learns about this when his dad starts talking about it rather excitedly. His dad is very into the whole new technology and scientific developments thing, even if he still doesn’t quite know how to work a computer beyond the absolute basics. His mom finds it endearing. Miles finds it exasperating.

But one Saturday morning when Miles’s dad says, “Hon, look at this. They’re saying Stark and Octavius are working on something big,” Miles chokes on his cereal and has to excuse himself to the bathroom so he can pace around in peace.

He knows that Doc Ock is up to no good. She had gotten away after being hit by the bus, apparently, and Mrs. Parker had implied very briefly that she saw Dr. Octavius’s wounds after the fact. Miles pauses and wonders about that for a split second before shaking his head and deciding to not go near it with a ten foot pole.

After a lot of deliberation, and several knocks on the door by his dad, he decides to poke around, see what he can find out about this project. It’s June, so he’s got a lot of free time to do some Spider-Manning. Spidering? Spider-Man stuff. 

When his parents are asleep- which he can tell through the walls now, woah, that’s _ awesome- _he throws on the suit and makes his way to the Stark Industries NYC compound. It’s not as far out as Hudson Valley, but it’s not terribly close. Miles doesn’t think he’s going to be getting much sleep tonight.

He goes in through the vents, like B had before, and makes sure to camouflage himself. He sneaks through, relying on his intstincts to guide him to the CEO’s office. He doesn’t really end up needing his instincts because it turns out it’s on the very top floor.

The room was immaculate. Shiny surfaces, crystal decanters in the corner that are almost empty, a top-of-the-line desktop computer, and windows on the back wall that went from the ceiling to the floor. It’s all metal and marble, very minimalistic, and in Miles’s opinion? Really ugly. But that’s neither here nor there.

The computer doesn’t even have a password, which means it’s Miles’s lucky day because there is definitely no one around to get it off of. It’s, however, an OS he has never used or even heard of. He clicks around a bit and taps on some keys and suddenly the most recent document that was shown is pulled up.

It’s completely obvious as to what it is. Smaller, more stream-lined, maybe, but it is definitely the Collider. That’s not even the scariest part to Miles. The thing is, Wilson Fisk was not an engineer nor a scientist. So he may have had no idea what any of it meant besides opening dimensions, but Tony Stark does. 

Tony Stark is more than just a handsome poster boy for a massive corporation, he’s basically a rocket scientist. He’s mainly the one who designs all his weapons and tech. There’s only two major modern scientists they learn about in school, Dr. Octavius and Tony Stark. Both are leaders and influencers of their respective fields. 

And Miles isn’t stupid, and he doesn’t have a death wish, so now that they’re working together, Miles isn’t entirely sure that he can stop them on his own. Scratch that, he’s definitely sure he can’t. Peter couldn’t take on Kingpin, which means Miles- who knows that he’s definitely not as strong or experienced- doesn’t even have a chance.

Miles is so deep in his panic he doesn’t notice he’s become visible again. Not until his senses scream at him to MOVE; Which he does, jumping onto the ceiling right as a green tentacle smashes through the monitor right where his face was.

“Hello, Spider-Man.” Doc Ock says with a snarl as she moves through the door without even touching the ground. “It’s been a while.”

Miles dodges another strike, the ceiling tiles cracking and crumbling onto the ground. “Oh hey, Liv! How’s it goin’?” 

“I’m going to destroy you!” She vows. “You destroyed my life’s work!” 

He dodges another strike, misses a shot of webs in an attempt to restrain her, and finds himself realizing there’s not a whole lot of room to fight in here. That’s problematic.

“I was really hoping to catch up,” He calls as she smashes bookshelves and tables. Miles manages to land a punch and send her stumbling. “After I, y’know, destroyed the collider.”

She screams in rage and slams into him, sending him flying through the drywall and into the hallway. He scrambles away through the rubble and dust and weaves through her arms, sprinting down the hall before she can grab him. She’s right on his tail, though, he has to think fast because this hallway really isn’t that long-

He trips- how the hell did he trip, he’s _ Spider-Man- _and she grabs his ankle and slams into the wall that isn’t drywall this time once- twice- three times, if you include the tile that splinters and cracks under the force. Now his ears are ringing and he can barely gather what’s going on, so he just reaches down- up?- and puts both hands on the tentacle and venom strikes it.

It has little effect. Whatever those things are made of, it isn’t conductive, but the tiny wires get a burst of electricity that’s enough to make it drop him, and he’s running again. He needs to get out in a more open space, he can’t fight her like this, even Peter had a hard time with it. 

There’s a window at the end of the hall before the turn. Miles thinks that maybe, maybe he can break it. He knows that most buildings like this have plexiglass, or bulletproof glass, but pushes all his force into it… it’s worth a try.

He speeds up, sprinting as fast as he can as blood rushes to his head. He takes a glance back, Doc Ock is really not losing any steam. He swallows and focuses, keeping his velocity as he jumps-

The glass shatters around him. 

And then he’s falling.

The building is 40 stories high, at least. Probably more. Miles doesn’t have a whole lot of time, here. He shoots a web at the closest thing to him, a light post, but it’s too low. The shot misses.

Miles scrambles to find purchase on anything at all, shooting webs in all different directions in the span of seconds. Nothing sticks, he’s freefalling, he can’t control this-

He hits the ground hard, splitting it apart and falling through to the second floor of the parking garage that’s right next door.

It’s blurry for a second, his ears ringing and his vision going in and out. He hears a low, echoing laugh and then he’s on his back, looking up with double vision. There’s someone standing over him and a hand on his mask.

_ “Don’t tell anyone who you are. No one can know!” _

He moves without even thinking, without even hesitating, and grasps the wrist of the hand and pours everything into a venom strike. 

In an instant, the figure is gone, his fingers are stinging with leftover electricity, and his mind is screaming at him to _ get up, get up Spider-Man! _

He doesn’t know how but he does. He’s half conscious and barely able to walk but he gets up shakily, breathing painful and labored, but he’s standing. He looks around, gains his bearings as much as he can, and leaves.

\----

Miles wakes up slowly, coming to awareness over minutes rather than seconds. His whole body is pulsing with pain, his head throbbing the most. He has a blanket on him and no suit on, instead he has an unknown pair of sweatpants on over his boxers and bandages tight around his ribs, knees, and arms.

No suit. No mask.

This makes him bolt up, involuntarily crying out when he uses his right wrist for support. He clenches and unclenches it, the tendons shifting unnaturally and the joint moving painfully. A sprain, probably. He sets his jaw and stands up, looking around his surroundings.

He doesn’t recognize the room he’s in. It’s someone’s bedroom, but it’s old. The bedsheets still have dinosaurs on them, but the other parts of the room are barren and empty. It smells like dust, rose perfume, and a home. Not his home, but another distinctive yet unidentifiable scent that means home for someone else.

The desk in the corner is what gives it away, it still has carvings and burn marks all over it. He sees the initials PP + MJ written in permanent marker on the edge of it. He must be in Peter’s old room, in Mrs. Parker’s house.

He relaxes immediately with a sigh, and leaves the room immediately. It makes his chest feel hollow to be in there.

“Mrs. Parker?” He calls out as he enters into the hallway, keeping one hand on the wall and another on his ribs. He’s not entirely sure what time it is, but at least the sun is up.

“Downstairs,” She responds.

He takes the stairs one at a time, wincing with every step and leaning heavily against the wall, and finds her having tea in the living room. “Hey,” He smiles, leaning on the wall.

“Hey yourself,” She closes the book she was reading. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’ve definitely been better.” He admits, rolling his shoulders with a wince. “How’d I get here?”

“You don’t remember, huh?” She hums and stands from her couch. It’s new, along with most of her other furniture and walls. “Come on, I’ll fix you something to eat. What do you remember?”

Miles eagerly follows her into the kitchen, starving from having to heal so much. “Uh, I got in a fight with Doc Ock.”

“Liv? Really?” May pulls a box of red beans and rice from the cupboard. “I thought she was busy playing with Stark.”

Miles takes a seat at the table and rubs the back of his head. “Ehhhh, yeah, but… I kinda broke into the Stark Industries site? The one here in New York.” She raises an eyebrow at him. “It was only because I knew she wouldn’t be doing anything good with him! And I was _ right _!”

“Oh? What’s she doing?”

“She’s rebuilding the Collider.” Miles explains, and May freezes. She looks him right in the eyes with a deadly serious expression.

“No,” She says with an air of finality. “You are not going to do it alone, you hear me? Don’t you dare.”

Miles frowns. “I-”

“Over my dead body will you ever take that on alone.”

“Mrs. Parker-”

“You have people willing to help, Miles. Hell, I’m willing to start swinging a bat around for you. Don’t even _ try _to go off by yourself.”

“But I-”

“I will sic Wade on you. I’ll get Matt to go with you. I will hunt down the Punisher my goddamn self and drag her by the ear to help you, don’t think I won’t.”

“May!” Miles finally yells out. May’s lips go thin and white and Miles knows he has mere seconds to tell her- “I’m not going to go alone.”

She narrows her eyes and gives him a once over, checking him for any signs of lying. When she deduces he isn’t, all her anger deflates out of her. “I’m sorry, Miles. I just…”

“I get it,” He says quietly. “It’s okay.”

May takes a deep breath and collects herself. “You need to tell Matt about this.” She tells him while continuing with the rice. “You’re going to need his help.”

“Right,” Miles nods.

\----

Matt arrives to May’s home not too long after Miles’s call. He rushes as much as he can, short of bribing the cab driver to ignore traffic laws. It only takes him half an hour to get to Queens, not even bothering to knock when he enters.

He doesn’t even need to call out, Miles is sitting on the sofa wrapped in a blanket. He has a cup of tea in his lap. May is in the kitchen washing a couple of dishes.

“Miles,” Miles lights up when he spots Matt, and Matt sighs in relief. “Are you okay?” He asks immediately upon hearing the creak of fractured ribs and throbbing of bruising.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He says. “You?”

“Fine,” He answers, a little confused as to why Miles would ask. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you at home?”

“Matthew,” May greets when she walks out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her jeans. “I’m glad you’re here.” She gives him a hug, which he returns, but his frown only deepens.

“May, what’s wrong?” He asks. “I came as fast as I could. Did something happen?”

Miles and May both turn their heads towards each other before looking back at Matt. 

“I’ll make you some tea,” May says before turning back.

Matt just moves his face towards Miles, who sighs. “Have you heard about Tony Stark’s latest project?”

“No.” Matt crosses his arms. Anything to do with Stark has to be bad, he’s sure of it.

“He’s working with Dr. Octavius.” Miles says.

Matt’s eyebrows go up. “Dr. Octavius as in…”

“Doc Ock, yeah.”

Matt whistles low. “That can’t be good.”

“It’s _ not _. I know what the ‘project’ is; They’re rebuilding the machine- the one that Fisk made. The one that opened up different dimensions.”

Matt tenses, his hands tightening around his folded cane. “The one that almost opened a black hole under Brooklyn. The one that got Peter killed.”

Miles nods. Matt grits his teeth. He runs a hand through his hair and puts another on his hip, walking towards the kitchen before turning around. “I’m going with you.”

“That’s why I called you, dude. Why does everything think I’m about to take Stark and Doc Ock on by myself?” Miles asks, frustration evident in his voice. “I’m not _ dumb _.”

“We know you are, Miles. It’s not because we think you are,” Matt explains, tightening his fists so much his knuckles creak. “It’s because Peter did. Peter would.”

“Oh,” Miles says quietly.

Matt doesn’t say anything. He’s too focused on a plan, his mind is running with several ideas. Who else could they ask? 

Wade wasn’t here- he was overseas. Had a job, he said. The Punisher might help, but that’s completely dependent on if she’s in a good mood or not. Probably not. When was she ever? 

Jessica and Luke were retired, now, they weren’t doing the hero stuff anymore. Which- yeah, okay, they had a daughter to look after now. He was on good terms with neither of the Hawkeyes. He kind of hates Danny, and he’s pretty sure it’s mutual. 

Elektra is completely impossible to contact these days; the only way he’s getting her is if she saunters back into New York. Which won’t happen any time soon.

He’s starting to think it’s just him and Miles in this.

May comes out and places a cup of tea into his hands and he drinks it without thinking. He ends up burning his tongue and grimacing at the taste before putting it down on the coffee table.

“Miles,” He says as he continues pacing. “Do you know if it’s the same design as the previous one?”

“Yeah,” He sounds oddly worried. “Yeah, it was smaller but it was the same one.”

“And you know how to destroy it, right?”

“Mhmm.”

“Walk me through it.”

“Oh. Okay, uh, we need an override key from one of Stark’s computers, and we need to stick that key into an exact part on the ceiling of the machine, and then press the green button.”

Matt winces. “Shit. I can be the muscle of the team this time, I guess. Not gonna be much use for two out of three of those steps.”

“Why?” Miles asks. There’s a pause. “Oh! Right.”  
Matt doesn’t answer. He puts a hand to his chin and thinks. “We need a solid plan, now. We can’t just bust into Stark’s building in full costume.”

Miles hums. They both go silent for a moment, before Miles snaps. “I’ve got a plan!”

\----

“This is such a terrible plan.”

“Shh! You’re gonna blow our cover!” Miles hisses next to him.

“Are you even invisible right now? It doesn’t sound like it.”

“I am! Now shut up and act the part!”

Matt sighs as he enters the front door of Stark Industries, sans walking cane or glasses.

Miles’s plan is to go as such.

Pretend to be a possible investor and ask for a tour.

Once in a room with restricted staff only computers, have someone cause a distraction. Someone will make sure this distraction is ongoing.

When everyone is distracted, Miles will get into the computer using a hacking software that Miles, Ganke and May have created together and get the override key.

Miles will then signal Matt, who will cease stalling and tell the helpful tour guide, “Thank you for this delightful tour, I will continue to consider an investment in this company, have a good day.”

Then they will run like hell before anyone finds out what happened.

Matt thinks this is a horrible plan but, honestly, it’s the only one they’ve _ got _.

Miles is pressed close to him, in civilian clothes in case Matt needs back up. They’d had a bit of an argument on this part. Miles wanted to be in his suit, but Matt had argued that if Spider-Man showed up in the building, it would most likely go into lockdown and they’d get killed by Octavius in a heartbeat, who was most likely working in the basement.

Miles had pursed his lips and agreed to just wear his own clothes. He had to come up with an excuse to his parents why he wasn't home that morning and to tell them he'd be staying at Ganke's for the next day or so, anyways.

Now they were maneuvering through the crowd up to the desk, where a woman is calmly and politely informing a young man that if he did not have an appointment that no, he could not meet with Mr. Stark, and in fact, Mr. Stark is currently preoccupied.

Matt huffs in amusement. Preoccupied with killing innocents and civilians in Middle Eastern countries, sure.

Miles tugs on his suit sleeve when he’s next to speak with the woman.

“Hi, welcome to Stark Industries, how can I help you today?” She smells like frustration and pesto.

“Hello, I’m interested in perhaps investing in this company, but I was wanting to get a tour before making any big decisions. Just to make sure I’m making the right choice in supporting this company."

The woman made a tiny sigh. “I’m sorry, I cannot allow you to enter the building without-”

“I’m so sorry, I’ve forgotten to introduce myself.” Matt throws on his most charming smile. “My name is Daniel Rand.” He hopes Danny doesn’t hate him too much for this. He wouldn’t want to throw off their carefully balanced relationship.

That gets her attention. She swallows. “Um, let me ask my supervisor.”

“Thank you.”

She makes a short call, and Matt can hear the supervisor’s answer. “Danny Rand? You’re joking. This guy can’t be for real. Ask him for ID.”

“Of course,” She says before turning back to Matt. “Sir, may I see your ID? It’s for security reasons.”

“Yes,” Matt pulls out his wallet and the fake ID he had Turk make for him. Well, more like threatened Turk for it. It still smelled like chemicals more than leather. “Here you go, ma’am.”

Blood rushes from her face when she reads it, but she maintains composure and hands it back with a “Thank you,” before informing her boss. Her boss asks why the hell she’s still asking, send him up immediately.

And she does. Miles whispers a soft “Yes,” and fist pumps when she hands him a guest card and sends him on his way. She tells them to go to the eleventh floor.

When they get there, there’s a man waiting for him. He’s balding, reeks of cigars, and has a titanium knee implant.

“Mr. Rand!” He exclaims, shaking Matt’s hand with a grin. “What a surprise and an absolute pleasure!”

“Hello,” Matt says politely, letting the man abuse his poor hand.

“I’m Obadiah,” He introduces himself. “Obadiah Stane, but I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

“Of course. COO of Stark Industries, Nobel Peace Prize winner for your work on the arc reactor, how could I not?”

“And you, I’ve definitely heard of you. Daniel Rand, heir to Rand Enterprises. $2.5 billion net worth. Very impressive stuff, Mr. Rand.”

“I try my best.” He grins. “So, about this tour…?”

“Right, yes. Yes. I hope you aren’t too surprised to know that I’ll be conducting this tour myself.” He preens a little, expecting praise.

“That’s great to hear. I do hope you show me that your company is a worthy investment.”

“Of course! Come on, I’ll show you around.”

The tour is long and boring. They go floor to floor, starting at 11 and going up because according to Stane, “It’s all cubicles and offices and fax machines- this is where the real action is.”

Except there was no action, it was just fancier offices and labs full of people doing equations and so many server rooms. It wasn’t until they got to the penthouse were they given any opportunity to get what they need.

“Here’s my office. Excuse the mess, we recently had a bit of a situation with some interns and a prank gone wrong.” He laughs, and Matt pretends to scan the room with his eyes. He can tell that there’s a wall with a tarp over it, a broken chair, broken bookshelves and scattered books.

“This is where I fought Doc Ock,” Miles says so quietly that no one but Matt would hear. “She threw me through the wall.”

Matt clenches his jaw but forces himself to relax and keep smiling pleasantly. “I imagine it would be far nicer without the chaos.”

“Definitely is.” He says. “Now that we’ve gone through everything, how about we talk investments?”

Stane goes to sit at his desk, with it’s new, still plastic-smelling computer monitor. Matt cries out suddenly, trying to prevent him from sitting. “Wait!”

“Yes?” Stane questions, hand on his desk. “What’s wrong?”

“I was hoping we- we could have this meeting over lunch?” Matt asks him. “I’m starved, and I always make the best decisions on a full stomach.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Stane says. “I know this incredible restaurant a block from here. They have the _ best _sandwiches.”

\----

Matt follows Stane out of the door, and nods towards Miles minutely. He nods back and once the door is closed, he gets to work.

The computer has a password, this time around. Before it hadn’t, which Miles thought was a massive oversight, but now that he’s broken in it’s obvious Dr. Octavius took some extra security measures.

He doesn’t bother trying to guess the password, just plugs in the USB given to him and lets to program run itself. It takes only a few minutes to get in, which wow, that’s a shitty password, Stane. Really? “Passw0rd”? Whatever. It’s good news to him.

He does some searching for a good long while before getting the override key. It’s a very long and complicated process, but he does everything exactly like Ganke and May explained, and gets the key into the USB. 

By the time he’s safely removed it and stashed it in his pocket, his Spidey sense goes off. He quickly makes sure he’s still invisible before moving away from the desk and against the wall. Matt and Stane reenter.

“Those sandwiches were wonderful.” Matt says. “Thank you so much for this tour. This is an amazing corporation and I will make sure to invest the amount we talked about in your shares.”

“Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Rand.” Stane shakes his hand again. “We look forward to it.”

Matt nods, more to Miles than Stane, and goes to leave. Miles silently follows him out, USB clenched in his fist, as Matt walks briskly to the elevators.

“I didn’t have time to close the file,” Miles hisses to him, and Matt quickens his pace. He hears Stane click his mouse and then swear. The elevator doors are closing by the time Stane comes out of his office.

They make it out and disappear into the crowd in the lobby before Stane can get to them. Matt quickly pulls his glasses and cane from his interior suit pocket and becomes himself again, melding into the flow of people as Miles keeps a grip on his wrist to prevent being washed away.

Once they’re out of the building, they cut through an alley, where Miles lets his camouflage melt away.

“Crap, crap, crap,” Miles says as they walk down the street. “Are you sure he didn’t recognize you?”

“Positive. He won’t know it’s me, he didn’t even pick up on the fact that I was probably looking at his ear and not his eyes.”

Miles takes a moment to breathe, his hand still almost crushing Matt’s wrist. “Okay. Okay. We have the override key.”

Matt smirks. “We have the override key. We’re one third of the way there, kid. Let’s go suit up.”

\----

They leave together at sunset. May has made sure they’ve both eaten, that their gadgets are working properly, that Miles has enough web fluid and is healed enough, that Matt has his hands wrapped and shoulder and knee pads tight enough.

Foggy shows up with Matt’s suit around dinner time. He smells like worry and fear and Matt kisses him to try to make him feel better.

“I’ll watch out for both of us, okay?” He tells him quietly, with his arms wrapped around him, when they have a private moment together. Foggy just sighs and melts into his shoulder. “Fogs,”

“I’m not going to not worry. If- if it had been anything else, I wouldn’t be as terrified.” He laughs nervously. “You need to be careful. You need to look out for Miles.”

“Of course I will.” Matt tells him with complete seriousness. “But, if anything, Miles is going to be the one looking out for me. He’s done this before.”

Foggy doesn’t laugh, so Matt just presses a kiss to his forehead and holds him tighter. “I love you, Fogs.”

“I love you too, buddy.”

Matt allows himself to revel in the sound of his heartbeat for a few moments more.

Miles is fully suited up when he comes down the stairs, sans mask. Matt secures his billy clubs in his thigh holster and slides his mask over his head. Foggy and May are standing next to each other, Foggy pressing his hand to his mouth and May with her arms crossed.

“Be careful, Miles.” May says, putting both hands on his shoulders. “Watch each other’s backs.”

Miles nods and in one swift motion, pulls on his mask. He looks to Matt, who kisses Foggy one last time and presses their foreheads together. Foggy nods, minutely, unnoticeable to anyone but Matt, who is constantly tuned into Foggy. 

It’s permission, but not really. It’s more like acceptance.

Matt pulls away and looks to Miles. “Let’s go.”

The Collider is in the same building they had been at earlier in the day. Matt keeps up with Miles easily, grappling and swinging through the city with his lines and hooks.

They get in through the ventilation system, as Miles had before. Matt leads them in the dark, moving further and further down until he can hear Stane and Octavius, talking.

He holds up a hand to Miles, who stops and looks at him. He focuses on the two people that are four floors below.

“-out! We need to postpone the testing, Octavius.”

“Relax, Stane. I know what I’m doing. There won't even be any earthquakes tonight, it’ll just be a bit of a power blackout. They don’t even know where it is, let alone when we’re testing. The only way for that override to work is if the machine is on.”

Stane seems to hesitate. “Fine. But only if you’re sure. I’ve funneled billions into this already, I don’t want it to go to waste. Not even Tony knows about it.”

“It won’t. We’re fine.”

They say no more. Matt continues on downwards. He can hear a handful of people operating computers and servers, talking in science jargon he can’t quite understand. They find a vent directly above the main room with the machine.

“Oh.” Miles murmurs from behind him, and Matt tilts his head.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, just- I thought it would be smaller. It’s not as big as before but it’s still... pretty big.”

Matt picks up on his nervousness. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to destroy it, and we’re going to put Octavius and Stane in jail, but you have to focus.”

“Right. Focusing.”

“Okay. What’s our plan here?”

“I go out in camo mode and find the insert point and the button. You crash into the control room and cause some chaos so they’re distracted.”

“Good. But we need it to be on first.”

“What? Why?”

“I just heard Octavius mention it. Apparently she doesn’t think we’re coming.”

“We have the drop on her?” Miles sounds hopeful.

“Seems so. Let’s make it worthwhile.” Matt says. “But for now, we have to wait.”

The wait for them to turn on the machine wasn’t very long at all. It was about twenty minutes before Matt heard the lights buzz on and the machine begin to hum.

“Go now.” Matt whispers. “I’m right behind you.”

Miles squeezes past him and carefully lifts the vent grate, not making a sound, and slips through it. He crawls along the ceiling, keeping it low and slow. Matt waits until he’s in position before crawling farther along to find the vent leading directly to the control room.

He waits until Miles mutter, “Ready.” under his breath, before he crashes down from the ceiling with his batons at the ready.

A couple of scientists scream, a couple others throw themselves at him. He makes quick work, because these aren’t like Fisk’s men. These are just scientists that have no training.

The two that came after him are out cold now, but there’s more approaching. There’s security guards with batons and tasers, which he has a harder time with. They have more armor than he did.

His nose is bleeding and his side stinging by the time he’s done with the both of them, and he realizes that he doesn’t know where Octavius is. He can’t pinpoint her, not with all the insulated steel, buzzing from all the wires and loud humming of the Collider itself.

More security bust through the doors. Matt smiles at the feeling of breaking their wrists when they try to taze him.

Miles suddenly makes a choking noise and struggles against something, his legs flailing in the air. Matt snaps his head up and runs to the pane of glass. It muffles his sense but he can make out a second figure in the main room with him, one with eight limbs and an odd mechanical hum to her.

Doc Ock.

“Did you think I couldn’t possibly know you were coming here tonight?” She laughs as she tightens her grip around Miles’s throat. He struggles harder. “Please. You are nothing if not predictable, Spider-Man.”

“I think I’m pretty cool.” He wheezes.

Matt takes a few steps back before he gets a running start directly at the glass. He throws a baton first, cracking it to weaken it, and then he jumps through. He uses his grappling hook to wrap his line around the catwalk right above and flings himself onto.

“You didn’t tell me you brought your friend over to play,” She croons, but Matt doesn’t give her time to come at him. He throws a club, one that misses, but it distracts her enough to be able to slam his fist into her face.

She drops Miles when she stumbles, and he manages to latch onto the railing he was hanging over. Matt offers a hand, which he grasps and uses to pull himself up. They stand side by side as Octavius snarls and gasps as blood gushes down her face.

“I am not going to let you ruin this for me again.” She hisses and charges.

The machine is bursting underneath them, but hardly any shaking is happening. Matt can’t really tell what’s happening beneath him but it feels wrong on all levels. Like reality is just turning to mush. They need to take her down quickly and shut this down before anything bad can happen.

Miles fights with confidence and ease, dodging and punching at the right moments. His stance is less uncoordinated and more careful. He’s constantly moving, never stopping or ceasing or breaking. Matt goes right with him, following his lead on this. The kid has more than earned the right to lead.

Miles takes a hit to the head and stumbles, taking a knee. Octavius laughs out loud and moves to strike them both at the same time. Matt blocks her with a kick and uses his remaining baton to slam into her head, as repentance for her crimes. She actually falls to the ground and stuggles to pick herself up, letting Matt offer Miles a hand up. He takes it with a groan and stands with him, looking at the doctor’s rubber tentacles writhing in pain. 

“Go, I’ll keep her-” Matt stops in his words midway. He turns his face towards the glass window and quickly tugs Miles behind him, hearing the gun cock-

Stane fires.

He stumbles without really feeling anything at first, his hand automatically going to his shoulder, and Stane fires again. 

It feels like slow motion as he tumbles over the edge of the railing. He can’t do anything to stop it, and he can feel Miles reaching for him too late, crying out too late, sending his web to catch him too late, and then he’s _ falling _.

It takes him half a second to realize it, but he needs to grab onto something. He knows there’s a billy in his left hand, he knows he can grapple with it, so he throws it out. The wire goes up as he goes down and the pain is his shoulder and arm is becoming apparent now.

The wire wraps around the catwalk railing and dislocates the same shoulder that just got shot as it stops his fall. The air leaves his lungs as he suddenly stops mid air, and then it’s chaos in his head.

Sounds and smells and feelings and tastes all different and melding together in his head. Nothing is real, everything is melting around him, and he can hear screaming that sounds like his own mixed with someone else’s. The world is tearing itself apart and stitching itself back together and Matt’s skin is burning.

The taste on his tongue is apples, then blood, then lavender and milk, then mud, then salt water, and it changes with each second. He can smell everything he’s ever smelt at the same time and also something he’s never smelled in his entire life before. There’s voices and people, he can hear Foggy and Peter and Miles and Karen and himself and it’s making his head _ burn _and his stomach twist.

He can feel his own body breaking down and rebuilding itself and breaking down and rebuilding and breaking and building and breaking 

And breaking

And breaking

And _ breaking _

Then, everything just turns off.

\----

Miles screams as Matt falls.

He should’ve know, he should’ve stopped him, and now he’s hanging right in the stream that’s bursting with red and black and orange and he can hear Matt’s screams under his own.

He’d shot a web at both Matt and Stane when he’d fallen, but he’d missed Matt. Stane was now stuck to the floor of the control room, struggling under his webbing.

Miles doesn’t hesitate in diving right off the side of the catwalk, leaving Doc Ock to her own devices. He knows what happens next, he knows that it’s going to explode, he needs to get Matt out of her and safe and _ oh, god, he can’t let him die _.

He grabs Matt by the waist and swings as fast as he can as he hears a loud, high pitched noise continue to rise.

“NO!” Doc Ock screams, and then everything goes white.

Miles is moving before he can even think, keeping his arm around Matt. He hears the world settle around him, listens to beams fall and rocks tumble and crack and Matt groan.

“Oh, fuck, you’re alive,” Miles cries, kneeling next to him. He can see dark red dripping from a hole in his left shoulder and bicep. “Oh fuck, you got shot,”

This? This situation right now? This is fucking bad.

Miles doesn’t even know what to do. He knows, he knows that he needs a hospital, that May is nowhere near equipped for this. She doesn’t know how to help someone with no healing factor when they’ve been shot. She’s said this herself to him when he’d asked before, and said hospitals are his best bet.

But Matt- Matt can’t go to a hospital. Stan and Octavius- they’d be at his throat within the day. His identity would be leaked. He can’t go to a hospital. He can’t.

Who can he go to?

A person pops in his head. One single person. And then Miles is lifting up Matt and rushing out of the building as fast as he can, because that person is his only choice, no matter how much he doesn’t want to go to them.

He doesn’t bother with the vents, he just takes the elevator up and out of the building, swinging up and away from onlookers and those curious what that small earthquake was.

Miles webslings as fast as he possibly can, distinctly aware of Matt awkwardly pressed to his chest with one arm as he throws himself down streets and across bridges.

He can feel Matt’s blood slick and warm against his spandex, soaking in and spreading through the fabric, making it stick to his skin in the most uncomfortable way. 

“We’re going to be okay,” Miles says, to himself and to Matt. “I’m gonna- I’m gonna get you safe and fixed up and then we’re going to be okay.”

Matt doesn’t respond to this. Miles goes even faster.

It takes entirely too long to get where he needs to. Normally it would take an hour, but this time it’s thirty minutes, and Matt is still fucking bleeding, why can’t you go faster-

He lands on his knees on the front steps, shucks off his mask, and slams his fist on the door.

“Please,” He prays. “Please, please, please.”

The door opens a crack. “Hello?”

Miles chokes and holds onto Matt tighter. “Mami.” He sobs. “Mama, please, he needs help. Please.”

The door falls open completely, and Miles looks his mother in the eyes while covered in blood, in his spider suit, and holding an unconscious Daredevil.

“Miles?” She sounds scared. 

This is okay. Miles can deal with scared. He can definitely deal with scared. He can’t deal with anger.

“Please, he’s been shot. He’s- he’s bleeding out, Mama.”

“Oh dios mio.” Rio doesn’t waste another second she ushers Miles inside quickly. “Rápido, entra.”

“Gracias,” He cries, rushing forward. “Gracias.”

“No me lo agradezcas, baby, solo llévalo al suelo de la cocina.” She shuts and locks the door behind him, running down the hall to grab her big hospital bag, for big emergencies. Miles does as she says and lays him on the white kitchen tile. He hesitates, before taking initiative and just ripping his suit off his shoulder.

“Move.” Rio snaps, her brow furrowed and eyes intense. Miles obeys her as she kneels next to him, immediately snapping on some gloves and getting to work.

Miles watches carefully from a distance, pressing a hand to his mouth. She says nothing as she does it, just going along carefully and fast. The shot hadn’t been clean, the bullet was still inside. She disinfects as much as she can before digging into his shoulder and bicep with these medical-grade tweezers that Miles doesn’t know the name of.

“Fuck,” She swears as she twists her wrist and pulls it out, just dropping it on the floor. The wound almost gushes with blood and she quickly presses gauze to it, using her entire upper body strength to hold it down. “Miles, come help.”

He scrambles and takes over with keeping pressure on it, while she gets to work on getting her sutures ready.

She has it clamped tightly in another medical tool with a pair of scissors close by, and once she deems it safe she has Miles move again so she can stitch the wound closed. It takes her no time at all, and she does it with ease and confidence. It’s one thing to know, distantly, that your mom is a nurse and knows how to do sutures and save lives, but it’s another to witness it.

She repeats the process on his other gunshot wound. She mutters how lucky he was it didn’t hit an artery or bone, and all Miles can think is _ he almost bled out in your arms because of you _.

“Is- is he going to be okay?” Miles asks desperately.

Rio sighs. “I don’t know. It’s- a gunshot wound is a tricky thing to fix, Miles, and without a hospital…” She finishes the last suture, tying it off. “Without medicine, or a blood transplant, or any IV fluids… I don’t know if he’ll make it through the night.”

“I- I can get them. I can go get what you need, I’ll be back super fast.” Miles offers.

Rio shakes her head. “I can’t let you steal from a hospital. It’s too risky- you’d be thrown in jail, mijo.” She looks back down at Matt, carefully checking his pulse.

“I can- I can ask someone else,” He falls to his knees, scrambling to grab Matt’s burner phone from his suit pocket. “I know someone else who can get it.”

Rio looks apprehensively at him. She’s particularly eyeing his bloodsoaked suit and biting her lip, her eyes wide and afraid for him. “Okay.” She says eventually. “Okay, go ahead. Preferiría que Daredevil no muera en mi casa esta noche.”

Miles nods and scrolls through Matt’s contacts. It’s only important contacts, like Foggy and Miles, and vigilante friends, like Jessica Jones and... 

The Punisher.

Miles has never met the Punisher before. He’s a little afraid of her, honestly. She’s basically a glorified serial killer. And yeah, he gets that her family was killed by gangs, but like… why do you have to kill them? Isn’t just seeing them rot in jail enough? They have families too. 

But The Punisher doesn’t kill innocents. He knows this. Matt knows this. Half of New York knows this. The other half wants her head on a pike.

She might help. She has a well known soft spot for kids- if he puts on his best voice he might sway her.

He looks at Matt’s pale face and labored breathing.

He calls the number.

It rings for a while before she picks up. “Red? The hell are you calling me for?”

“Um- Uh, hey, it’s- it’s Spider-Man.” He purposefully ups the stutter. “He’s- Double D got shot and I got him patched up but-”

“Woah, kid, slow it down.” She sounds receptive. “What are you asking for?”

“I can’t leave him, he needs me to keep him stable, but he needs--” He looks to his mom as she mouths the words. “Saline, and an IV, and antibiotics but I can’t leave to get them and--”

“Shit, kid.” He hears muffled movement on the other end. “If Red’s got you bustin’ my damn chops at this time of night, it’s gotta be bad.” She sighs. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get it. Goddamnit. Send me the address.” And with that, the line went dead.

Rio looks at him expectantly. Miles nods with a relieved smile. “She’s gonna get what we need.”

His mom sighs. “Gracias a Dios. All we need to do now is keep him stable. Come on, I need your help setting his shoulder.”

\----

Miles watches the water run red down the drain as he stands under the shower current. The hot water feels amazing right now, washing away the sticky, coagulated blood on his arms and chest. His mom insisted on it once Matt was set on the couch, especially now that all they needed was to wait on the Punisher.

He scrubs at his chest, getting the flakes of dried blood off as he soaps himself up. He rinses off quickly and gets out even faster, dressing in some casual clothes before stepping out of the bathroom. The washer is running, his suit inside, and he can hear his mom using the microwave in the kitchen.

“Mom?” He says once he’s in the kitchen, sparing a glance to the still unconscious Matt, dressed in half his DD suit with gauze taped to his chest. He looks down at the kitchen floor, the white tile stained with red. There’s a towel in the trash can.

His mom looks up from the table and meets his eyes. She goes over his figure and deflates upon seeing him clean of blood.

“Come here, mijo.” She beckons him, and Miles pulls up a chair next to her. She wraps her arms around him, holding him tight to her chest and starts swaying with him.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” He whispers to her, returning the hug immediately.

“It’s not okay.” She says, and Miles clenches his fists in her shirt. “I know you had nowhere else to take him, but this isn’t an okay situation, Miles.”

“I know,” He murmurs, his voice cracking. “I’m sorry.”

“You should have told me.”

“I know.”

“You can’t just bring me half-dead vigilantes, Miles. You can’t do this.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, baby? Why didn’t tell me you were-” She trips on the last word. Miles understands.

“I couldn’t. Peter- Peter said… he said that protecting your identity was the most important part. That no one could know.” Miles squeezes her. “I needed to protect you and Dad.”

Rio pulls away and gives him a look, which he carefully averts his eyes from. “If I remember correctly, Mr. Parker’s aunt and wife both knew his identity for most of his time as Spider-Man.”

Miles doesn’t have anything to say to that. He slumps back into her arms and she sighs softly. “We’re going to have to tell your Papa.”

“I know.” He mumbles into her collarbone.

“I love you, Miles. I love you so much that the idea of you putting yourself in danger- of you dying like Mr. Parker did-” She buries her face in his shoulder. “It terrifies me. It terrifies me more than you could ever know.”

Miles sobs into her once before the dams break. His shoulders are shaking as he hiccups and cries and sniffles, his mom running her hand through his hair and letting him cling to her.

“It’s so important, Mama.” He says through his tears. “It’s- it’s the most important thing I’ve ever done. I can’t stop. Please, I _ can’t _, I-”

Rio shushes him and plants a kiss to his forehead. “I know, baby. I know. You’re stubborn. It’s one of your best traits, Miles, one of the best ones you got from your dad. You never give up. You never back down from responsibility.”

“It’s- it’s more than that. I _ love _being Spider-Man.”

She sighs heavily. “That’s the part I was afraid of.” She goes silent and just rocks Miles as his sobbing tapers off into sniffles and soft gasps.

“Ever since you were little, I knew you would do amazing things one day. I knew from the beginning you were destined to help others.” Miles can hear the smile in his mom’s voice. “Do you remember what I’d call you all the time?”

“Pequeño ayudante.” Miles recalls.

“_ Pequeño ayudante _.” She repeats. “You did everything you could to help everyone. Even strangers. Do you also remember, when you were in sixth grade, you found out someone in your class was being bullied, and you decided to confront the bully instead of getting an adult?”

Miles laughs a little. “I remember. I came home with a black eye and Dad was ready to get an arrest warrant for whatever kid did it.”

Rio hums in amusement. “I was, too. I was concerned about your safety, but I was also proud.”

“I don’t remember that part,” Miles says. “I just remember being grounded for a month and getting several bullying talks at school.”

“Well, we had to set a good example. It was a complicated situation, Miles. We decided you needed to learn to rely on adults for help more than you needed to be praised to standing up for your classmates.” Rio explains. “This situation, right now? It’s entirely more complicated than that, but I know exactly which choice to make right now.”

Miles shrinks a little, guilt gnawing at his heart. Rio pulls away again and cups his face in her hands. “Miles, look at me.” She orders, and he clenches his eyes shut before looking up. Her warm brown eyes were watery and puffy, her cheeks lined with tear tracks. His stomach drops as he looks at her, guilty for causing her this pain.

“Miles,” She says quietly. “I am so, so proud of you. You’re a brave, beautiful young man and I’ve never been prouder that you’re my son. You do amazing things, you’ve saved millions of people, and you’re absolutely brilliant. You protect the ones you love and even the ones you don’t, and I am so proud of you, mijo.”

Miles feels a swell of warmth ignite in his chest and spread under his skin. His eyes well up and tears track down his own cheeks again. He sniffles and hiccups as Rio smiles and wipes away his tears with her thumbs. “No llores, baby, está bien. Estamos bien.”

It takes another minute for Miles to get his crying under control again, rubbing at his eyes. “I love you, Mama.” He says, taking stuttering breaths. “Nunca dejaría que te pasara nada malo. Lo prometo. Siempre te protegeré.”

She sighs and shakes his head. “Ese es mi trabajo. Yo soy el que siempre te protegerá. No necesitas ser fuerte para mí.” 

Miles opens his mouth to argue when his spidey sense goes off, shocks going down his back. He stands quickly, his mom flinching away as he suddenly moves towards the kitchen entryway. He peeks his head around the corner and sees a figure in black coming in through the widow.

It’s only when they turn from closing the window and he sees the large, white skull on their front does he relax. Slightly. The sight makes his stomach turn.

“Um, Ms. Punisher, ma’am?” He calls out to her, which makes her flinch and put a hand on her side. Presumably where a gun is.

"It's Maria." She clarifies automatically. Her dark eyes narrow at him, giving him a onceover, before she relaxes. “Jesus, kid. Maybe not scare the hell outta me.” She has a drawstring bag on one shoulder. “You Spider-Man?”

“Uh, yeah. My suit’s in the washer, though. Oh, and my mom’s in the kitchen, please don’t shoot her.” She regards him for another second before shrugging the bag off and handing it to him. He takes it carefully from her and examines the contents. It’s everything they needed plus a few extra things he didn’t think of. He grins and looks back up at her, but his expression falls when he notices how she’s staring at Matt.

“Hey, kid,” She says quietly. “On the way here, I wasn’t sure if you were the real deal or not, y’know, but seeing Red… it makes me wonder,” She looks him directly in the eyes. “Why did I get intercepted by Daredevil on my way over when he’s laying here, half dead?”

Miles frowns and furrows his brows. He opens his mouth, ready to ask _ what do you mean _ when it clicks instantly.

“Oh fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPANISH TRANSLATIONS:
> 
> "Oh dios mio. Rápido, entra.” = "Oh my god. Get inside, quick."
> 
> "No me lo agradezcas, baby, solo llévalo al piso de la cocina." = "Don't thank me, baby, just take him to the kitchen floor."
> 
> "Preferiría que Daredevil no muera en mi casa esta noche" = "I would rather Daredevil not die in my home tonight."
> 
> "Pequeño ayudante." = "Little helper."
> 
> "No llores, baby, está bien. Estamos bien." = "Don't cry, baby, it's fine. We're fine."
> 
> "Nunca dejaría que te pasara nada malo. Lo prometo. Siempre te protegeré.” = "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise. I will always protect you."
> 
> "Ese es mi trabajo. Yo soy el que siempre te protegerá. No necesitas ser fuerte para mí.” = "That's my job. I'm the one who will always protect you. You don't need to be strong for me."
> 
> tbh tho this is all from google translate and i am an english speaker so pls correct it if it sounds/reads wrong


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh okay i guess im continuing this....??

The second he realizes what’s happening, Miles is rushing into the bathroom where he left his phone and coming back into the living room. 

“Miles?” His mom calls from the kitchen. He can hear the Punisher audibly flinch at her presence. “Miles, what’s wrong?”

He pays her no mind, quickly typing in a number and making a call.

“Miles?” May sounds worried.

“Is Foggy there?”

“No, he left hours ago. Miles, what’s wrong?”

“It happened again.” He says.

“What? What happened? Where’s Matt?”

“He’ll be okay,” He promises. “The collider, it’s broken but- but it opened different dimensions again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I need you to come over, I’m at my house with Matt. I’ll explain everything then.” He hangs up and goes to shove his suit and mask into the dryer, not even caring if they’re fully washed. He needs to be out there searching for the others like, _ now _.

“Kid,” The Punisher says from right behind him, startling him. “If we’re in danger, you need to tell us what’s going on.”

“The thing- the thing that made all those earthquakes, the thing that I destroyed last year, it was rebuilt.” He explains as he goes back into the living room, finding his mom pulling on gloves and trying to find a vein in Matt’s arm. “And we destroyed it. It’s how Double D got hurt.”

“You mean that thing they said made new dimensions?”

“No- it doesn’t make them. It just opens pathways to different ones.” He’s pacing the living room now. “And last time, a bunch of different Spider-People came through, because _ Peter _had gotten caught in the stream. But this time, DD got caught in the stream, and that means-”

“Multiple Reds came through.”

“Exactly,” He snaps his attention to her. “Ms. Punisher, what was the Daredevil you ran into like?”

“I thought I already told you to call me Maria.” She raises an eyebrow rival to only his mother’s before just telling him. “At first, I didn’t even know he was Red until he did his little snarl that he likes to do at me. He was wearing all black, a black mask too, no horns, and had ropes wrapped around his fists. He started talking about how everything was wrong, asking me who I was, not liking my answer. I thought I was gonna have to hold him down and call his husband to come take care of him.”

Miles sighs. “Yeah. That sounds about right. At least he was friendly about it.”

“Friendly?”

“Friendly for him, at least. He would’ve fought you if he wasn’t.”

Maria huffs in amusement. “Probably.”

When Rio finishes injecting antibiotics and hanging the saline on a coat stand she brought next to the couch, she sets to checking his vitals while keeping up with the conversation. “What’s going to happen? How many Daredevils are there?”

“Most likely 5, not including ours.” Miles says. “That’s how many other Spider-People there were. We need to get them home, it’s not safe for them here.”

“Yeah, but how are you going to find them? And didn’t you say the thing that brought them here was destroyed?”

Miles groans and presses his palms against his eyes. “UGH, it was so much easier last time! We all just ended up at May’s house, because that’s someone they all knew!”

“So we need to find someone they all know? Someone they all care about?” Maria asks. “Who?”

Miles wants to say him as a jest, but he really thinks about it. “Probably Mr. Nelson. DD’s all gross old man in love with him.” Maria barks out a laugh at that, Rio chuckles. 

“Alright, so then we use Nelson as bait to draw them out.” Maria says.

“Exactly!” Miles grins, unlocking his phone. “I’ll just call Mr. Nelson-”

His phone is then promptly plucked right from his hands by his mom. “Mom!”

“Uh-uh.” She says, pocketing the phone. “You have been through too much tonight. Right now, all you’re doing is eating the food I heated up and going to sleep.”

His furrows his brow. “Mom, I don’t have time for this! I need to fix what I did!”

“_ You _ are fourteen years old. You’re still growing, you need your _ sleep _, mijo.”

Miles opens his mouth to argue further, but when he sees the bags under his mom’s eyes, the smudged eyeliner, the desperation in her face, he bites his tongue and ducks his head with a quiet, “Okay, Mami.”

He looks to Maria, whose both watching and completely avoiding the entire scene in front of her. “Are you going to leave?”

“Do you want me to?” She replies.

Miles mulls it over. “No,” He decides. “We should go look for the other Daredevils when I wake up. And you should get some rest, too.”

She nods. “I’ll stay.”

Rio softens and guides Miles to the kitchen. She places two steaming tamales on his plate and offers coffee and food to Maria, who accepts only the coffee. His mom goes for a cup too, which makes Miles frown a little.

He dutifully eats all of his food, brushes his teeth, but he pauses in the doorway to his room. 

His mom and Maria are talking quietly in the kitchen, with ducked heads and tones too soft for Miles to hear from there. He can see their faces, though, and his mom is biting her lip while Maria says something that makes her eyes go distant and sad.

Miles’s eyes drift to Matt’s unconscious form, and the IV stuck in his arm. There’s still smears of dried blood along his arm and torso that makes Miles wants to check his pulse, but instead he focuses on the fact that his mom never removed Matt’s mask. Or even tried to.

That makes him smile and look at his mom again, who is physically comforting the Punisher in their kitchen at midnight while Daredevil lays on their couch.

He thinks his mom took to the whole “_My son is Spider-Man_” thing pretty well. He can only hope that his dad will, too.

\----

When Jeff comes home from work, it’s four AM and he’s alarmed by the presence of blood splattered on his front porch.

His hand goes to his belt immediately as he unlocks and opens the front door slowly.

“Rio?” he calls into the dimly lit home. He can see light from the living room, but his eyes immediately track to the droplets of blood littering the hallway. 

“Jeff?” Rio calls back, and he sags in relief. He undoes his utility belt and sets it down for now on the small table next to the door.

“Baby, did you hurt yourself?” He asks as he walks into the living room, follow the trail. “Cause I’m seeing blood on the-”

He stops like a deer in the headlights when he sees Rio standing in the middle of the living room. Except that’s not the reason he actually freezes, that goes to the fact that _ Daredevil, the devil of Hell’s Kitchen, the Man Without Fear, _ is on their _ couch _ with a half empty IV attached to him and several different wounds on his chest.

“Rio, what-” Before he can even finish his question, _ the fucking Punisher _ comes out of their kitchen holding a plate of the leftover tamales from Miles’s birthday.

“Mrs. Morales, I-” She freezes too. Her hand slowly moves to her waist.

His hands immediately go to his gun, too, which isn’t there, because he took off his fucking belt, goddamnit. His eyes dart from Rio to Castle, his entire body tense and ready to fight for his wife’s life.

“Jeff, novio, it’s okay.” Rio says, moving in between him and Castle. “It’s alright. I’m not hurt. I’m not in danger.”

“Rio,” He chokes because she cannot be serious. Her firm eyes and crossed arms say otherwise. “What the _hell_ is going on? Are we harboring wanted criminals now? Serial killers?”

Castle makes a face at his words. Good. He’s about ten seconds from tackling her and going right the fuck back to the station.

“Where’s Miles?” He finds himself asking, praying to God he’s still staying the night at Ganke’s.

“He’s asleep, so keep it down.” Rio says, and Jeff’s heart picks up in speed again.

“Miles is asleep when the Punisher is less than fifty feet away from him?!” He whisper screams, glancing between Rio and Miles’s open bedroom door. “Baby, what the hell is going on?”

“Come on, I’ll explain in the kitchen. I don’t want to wake Miles, he just fell asleep.” She takes his hand and presses a kiss to it before leading him right past Maria Goddamned Castle and Daredevil.

He pauses and looks Castle right in the eyes. She meets them before nodding. Then, she opens the living room window and slips out, shutting it behind her.

“Jeff, was that necessary?” Rio asks.

“Yes,” he says firmly. “I don’t care if you vouch for her, I refuse to let Maria Castle sit in my living room. She’s a _ serial killer _.”

Rio sighs but relents and he follows her into the kitchen.

He sits at the table and immediately gets a cup of coffee pressed into his hands. He sips, chokes, and looks at his wife to find out why she put whiskey in his coffee.

“You’re going to want it later,” She insists. Jeff doesn’t know about this. He’s still hoping he fell asleep at his desk and this is all a crazy, paperwork induced dream. 

She sits down across from him, with her own cup of coffee, sans whiskey, and takes a deep breath.

“Miles is Spider-Man,” She says, and Jeff blinks.

And blinks again.

And takes a long drink of his coffee.

Of course he was. 

Honestly, if Jeff hadn’t started putting pieces together last year when Spider-Man had hugged him at the scene at Fisk tower, he would’ve laughed in Rio’s face.

But it… it just makes sense.

He’s been more secretive, lately, and yet more open than ever. He gives hugs easier, says “I love you,” to them like he’s handing out candy on Halloween, he’s happier, he laughs more, draws more, does well in school. Ever since December, he’s had no more unexcused absences. No more suddenly disappearing without a word. 

Yet, still, when asked why he’s going out so late, where he’s going to be after school, why he needs baby powder so much, his son lies to his face. He knows this only because Miles is a terrible, terrible liar. The child cannot lie to save his life.

(Jeff knows exactly who he got it from. He’s the reason why he and Aaron got into trouble so often. He could never come up with a good lie.)

He never made the connection. Not until now, with Rio looking at him with red rimmed eyes and biting her lip so much it’s bleeding. With the red stain on the white tile in their kitchen, with two wanted vigilantes in their living room.

With a third vigilante sleeping soundly in his bedroom.

Jeff presses the meat of his palms into his eye sockets.

“He’s too young,” He says finally. “Rio, sweetheart, he’s too young to be doing that. To be risking his life day in and day out. He can’t.”

“I know, Jeff,” She says with a tremor in her voice. “No lo quiero para él. He’s a baby, he can’t- he shouldn’t-”

She’s crying now, and Jeff has a feeling it hasn’t been the first time tonight.

“He has to stop. If he wants to live under this roof, he can’t-”

“No,” Rio objects. “No, we can’t do that. If we drive him away, it’ll only be more dangerous for him.”

“We can’t let him do this. It’s- it’s our duty as his parents, we have to put an end to it.”

She just shakes her head. “He won’t. He said he won’t. He said- he said it was the most important thing he’s ever done.”

His heart breaks for his son. To look at the world, see it all- see it’s glory and it’s darkness- and to decide to take it all on and save the people who need saving and to hurt the people who need hurting, and to do it alone… Jeff can’t imagine the stress. He couldn’t imagine the kind of pressure that puts on a teenager like Miles.

Miles is pure sunshine made into a person. His laugh is like wind chimes on a summer day and his smiles warm him from head to toe. His son was the best thing to ever happen to him and he would do anything for him. He would take on any battle, any responsibility, any consequence, to make sure his son grew up loved and happy. 

He would put on red and blue spandex and find a way to stick to the sides of buildings before he ever asked Miles to take that on himself. Before he ever let anyone else ask Miles of that.

Except, he’s already failed him there.

He conveys this to Rio with only a look and she understands immediately. She just muffles a sob and Jeff feels tears fall down his cheeks as they cry over their son.

“What do we do?” He begs, his voice breaking. “What do we do? He can’t- he can’t-”

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know. All we can do is be there for him, all we can do is love him and nurture him as best we can.”

“I don’t want to drive him away,” He admits, clenching his fists. “I don’t- not when Aaron was-”

When Aaron was his little brother, his partner in crime, his best friend.

When Aaron was driven away by Jeff’s actions and his choices and his words.

When Aaron stayed away because of his own actions and choices and words.

When Aaron was shot and killed by Wilson Fisk and wasn’t even 35 yet and he could've stopped it, if he had been there.

When Aaron was a supervillain. (But he’s known this, he’s known this since Miles wasn’t even walking yet when he found him in an alley a block away from the crime scene in his outfit and claws and met his eyes and told him to _ leave, go, before they find you _.)

When Aaron died in that alley that day and he aimed his gun at the tiny Spider-Man in front of him and oh god-

“I blamed him.” Jeff realizes with deep, deep horror in his voice. “Oh Jesus, Miles was there. He was there when Aaron died, he watched it, and I _ blamed _ him for it.” He meets Rio’s eyes and sees her own horror. “I- I pointed my gun at him. Oh my god, I pointed my gun at my _son_.”

This is what breaks him. Here, in their kitchen, with blood staining the tiles and guilt and horror mingling in his gut as he remembers seeing a tiny Spidey disappear in front of his baby brother’s still warm body and thinking about how much he wished he’d shot, at least, before he’d seen him take on Fisk by himself in the middle of chaos.

And that was a whole other can of worms that was painful to swallow.

“I just want him to be okay,” Jeff says, trying to stop his crying.

“He is, mi amor.” Rio tells him. “He’s okay. We’re okay.”

Jeff takes deep breaths and wipes his eyes and suddenly remembers the two vigilantes possibly listening in right. His eyes move to the entryway.

“What about them?” He asks. “Where do they fit into this?”

Rio swallows, sighs, and delves deeper into the story.

\----

When Miles wakes up, his entire body is aching.

He’s not entirely sure how he never felt it last night. He’d taken quite a few hits from Doc Ock. It was probably the guilt and adrenaline, now that he thought about it,

Miles hops out of bed, groaning and wincing as he stretches, before making his way out of his room.

“Miles,” He hears before he’s engulfed in a hug. He smells rose perfume and black tea and melts into it, letting out a shuddery breath. May heaves a sigh of relief as she pulls away from him. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Hey, May,” He grins. “How- how are you doing? Is Matt okay?”

“He’s doing better, thanks to you.” She smiles, both hands planted firmly on his shoulders. “What you did was incredibly selfless. You gave up your identity to save him.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.” Miles shrugs lightly. “I just did what was right.”

“Peter would have been proud of you.” She says and Miles beams. “I know I am.”

“Thank you.” He says sincerely. “I- It means a lot.”

She pats his head. “Come on, I made eggs and bacon.”

She pulls Miles into the kitchen before he can protest. He knows what she’s doing, and he’s sure his mom put her up to this. He’ll play along, though. He knows they’re just worried about him.

The kitchen seems to have become the Meeting Room as well. There’s empty mugs and plates sitting on the table and in the sink, and a frying pan full of fluffy scrambled eggs and perfectly cooked bacon on the stove.

He catches a glimpse of Matt in the living room as he follows May, seeing color in his face and new gauze on his wounds, which makes him relax marginally. The bag of saline, however, is empty.

“He needs more saline.” Miles mentions as May stacks a plate high for him. “He’s all out. He lost a lot of blood.”  
“Maria went to get more with Rio.” She tells him. “I arrived just before they were planning to leave. Rio went with her because she has work today anyways and can get it for her easier.”

Miles frowns as he sits and May sets the plate in front of him. “But- couldn’t that cost her her nursing license?”

“Only if she gets caught.” May taps the side of her nose. “Besides, she’s got Maria. She could always go with the ‘The Punisher threatened me if that she’d kill me if I didn’t get her bags of saline, antibiotics, and pain meds.’ route. Works most of the time, usually if you have her point a gun at your head.”

The idea of his mom having a gun to her head made him sick. “She’s not gonna get caught.” He decides, willing it into the universe. Screw it, he wills it into multiple universes. None of his moms are getting caught today.

“Is Mr. Nelson doing okay? Has anyone told him what’s going on?” Miles asks as he eats.

“I called him. He’s coming to visit before work. He said someone’s gotta keep their firm afloat while Matt is fighting the Octopus Flu.”

Miles smiles. “Mr. Nelson is cool.” Suddenly, he remembers the main issue. “He hasn’t run into any other Daredevils, has he?”

“Foggy reported no alternate Daredevils seen so far.” May tells him. “Rio told me what’s going on. Only one so far has been the one Maria ran into. She’s given him a nickname, too.”

“Oh yeah?” He thinks about the nicknames he had given to the three different Peters; B, Noir, and Ham.

“I call him ‘asshole’.” Maria says from the living room, showing up out of the blue.

Miles chokes on his eggs in surprise and thumps his chest a couple times.

“Here’s the metric fuck ton of Saline you ordered.” Maria says as she sets a reusable grocery bag on the floor. “Left the other meds in the living room. Mrs. Morales is still at work.”

“Thank you.” May nods curtly, body tense.

“Don’t mention it.” Maria says quietly before stalking off back into the living room. He hears the window open and close again, and then hears her climb the fire escape up to the roof and settle there. Miles hopes she’s not setting traps for home invaders or just setting traps in general. That would end well for no one.

May sighs. “I’m glad she’s staying outside. Knowing she’s around still makes me uneasy.”

Miles frowns. “She’s been helping us, though.”

“Miles, Maria Castle is not a good person.” May says firmly. “She’s killed hundreds of people instead of letting the justice system work it’s magic.”

“Double D says that the law doesn’t always work.” Miles argues. “It’s not cool that she killed a bunch of people, but I understand where she’s coming from.”

May purses her lips. “Just because some of her actions are good doesn’t negate all the bad things she’s done. She’s a deranged serial killer.”

Miles pushes his eggs around. “I guess.” He sighs. “But Wade kills people, too. You said Wade was a friend of Peter’s.”

“Wade is… he’s different.” May says. “They aren’t similar.”

“But-”

“I don’t want to argue about this, Miles.” May cuts him off. “You need to understand that there’s more nuance to this than you think.” 

Miles scowl and stabs his eggs. “Fine.” He quickly takes another couple bites and stands up. “I have to go.”

“Miles-”

“I need to go find the other Daredevils.” he says, pausing in the doorway. “It’s my fault this happened, so I need to-”

He walks forward and bumps into something solid, and for a second he thinks _ ‘Wade _?’ before he looks up and right into his dad’s eyes.

He takes several steps back right as his dad takes a few forward. He sees the knowing look on his face and swallows thickly.  
“Miles,” His dad says.

Miles grits his teeth, squares his shoulders, and keeps eye contact.

He knows what the reaction is going to be. He knows his dad is going to try to talk him out of it. He knows his dad is going to tell him no. He knows his dad is going to furrow his brow and say “I hate Spider-Man.” knowing he is him, that they’re one in the same.

“Are you okay?” Jeff asks, instead, putting his hands on his shoulders and kneeling down in front of his.

“What?” Miles blurts out.

“Your mom told me what happened. Are you hurt? Is it bad? Do you need a hospital?”

Miles looks into his eyes and sees the worry.

He shakes his head and Jeff is visibly relieved. 

“Thank God.” He says. “That’s all I needed to know, Miles.”

“I thought,” Miles begins quietly. “I thought you hate Spider-Man.”

“Miles, I could never hate you.”

“But-”

“I hated the idea of Spider-Man. He represents the police force’s failures. He’s a criminal, and a vigilante, but the only thing I could ever hate about Spider-Man right now is the fact that you think you have to take on this big responsibility.” 

He sighs. “You’re just a kid. I want you to be able to just be a kid without having to worry about all this stuff that’s supposed to be bigger than you.”

“I can’t stop.” Miles tells him. “I can’t _ever_ stop. It’s-”

“-the most important thing you’ve ever done.” His dad finishes. “I know. Your mom told me what you said to her. I just- I want better for you, Miles.”

“There’s nothing you can do, Dad.” Miles says. “I chose this. It was my decision. And now it’s my _responsibility_ to be Spider-Man.”

“I just wish it wasn’t.” His voice breaks and Miles surges forward to hug his dad. “I love you, Miles.”

“I love you, too, Dad.” He says, his voice muffled in his shirt.

His dad pulls away when Miles does and stands up. He wipes under his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Phew, I think that’s enough emotional talks for me today. Mrs. Parker, is there any coffee left?” He attaches that last question as he walks past Miles and into the kitchen.

Miles smiles to himself and goes to change into his suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> novio = sweetheart (masculine)
> 
> No lo quiero para él = I don't want it for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goddddd it took me so long to get through this one.
> 
> speaking of future chapters, im going to be starting school again soon (tomorrow, the 12th) so i will not have nearly enough time to be writing, which mean chapters will become probably weeks/months between. ill do my best to update.

The first thing Matt hears is voices.

Muffled, distant. But there. Some of them familiar. Many not.

He hears cars on the street and water dripping in the sewers and a gun being taken apart and a low hum of electricity and so many people, so many heartbeats.

He grimaces and focuses, finding his own heartbeat, using it as an anchor and slowly branching out. He tunes out the white noise, the background stuff, and finds three heartbeats that he knows.

Miles. May. Maria.

He lets himself relax. He’s safe, he doesn’t need to fight. Miles is moving around in the other room, May is talking to someone he doesn’t recognize. Even Maria being there puts him at ease, even though she’s currently cleaning a pistol on the roof. 

The room he’s in smells like Miles. It smells like Miles, blood, and antiseptic.

He shifts his body, feeling it burn and throb. He recognizes the blood in the air as his own. He’s injured.  
Matt moves his hand, his right hand, and feels at his chest. He finds gauze taped to his chest, to his arm. His shoulder is swollen and irritated, he thinks it was dislocated.

He tries to clear his throat but ends up coughing, making his wounds turn to fire. He hisses and presses a gloved hand to his shoulder.

Miles comes out of the room behind him. “Matt?”

He groans, trying to sit up. “Miles,”

“Woah, dude, you just got _ shot, _ you _ cannot _be moving so soon.” He tells him, gently pushing him back into the couch.

“Wh?” He makes a noise more than a word. “Shot?”

“Yeah, man. You scared me.” Miles says quietly. “You... it was really bad, for a second there.”

He laughs a little as he says it, and Matt frowns. “You okay?”

“Are you seriously asking me that right now? Did you not hear me or something?”

Matt just frowns at him, not able to really articulate much right now. 

Miles watches him for a second before speaking. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Matt says.

“It’s my fault this happened. It’s my fault you got hurt. I should’ve-- I should’ve been _ faster _ . I should’ve been _ better _ than that. _ I’m _ the one with enhanced healing and reflexes and I should’ve saved _ you _ . You almost died and it’s _ all my fault _.”

“Hey,” Matt whispers roughly. “Hey, no.”

Miles just kneels next to Matt and radiates guilt. “It _is_. I got Spider-Man killed, and I got my uncle killed, and-- and now --” Matt can hear the way his voice gets higher, hear the stutter in his breath and taste the salt in the air. “I’m so sorry.”

“Miles,” Matt doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know how to make this better. It's the reason he can’t talk himself out of his guilt spirals, part of why he needs Foggy. 

Miles sniffs and wipes his eyes. “I’m so tired of crying.” He mutters as he stands. “I-I’ll get you some water.”

Matt listens to him walk away and inform May and the other person that he’s awake. Matt sighs and relaxes into the couch.

He lets the sounds of New York wash over him. He can tell he’s not in Hell’s Kitchen, nor Queens, which means this is most likely Brooklyn. He’s in a residential area, mostly townhomes and low density apartments, with less subway lines vibrating the world. He scans his peripheral for any familiarity, anything he recognizes.

He smiles when he hears Foggy. He’s getting closer by the second and he can hear his steady heart that he’s memorized so completely, hear him chatting away to someone that’s walking with him.

“He’s probably going to be territorial.” He says, a smile in his voice. “But he’s injured right now, so I don’t think he’s going to fight you.”

“Aw,” The other person says. “That’s a shame.”

“And that is exactly why you can never meet when you’re both at a hundred percent.”

Matt frowns, not understanding exactly what that means without context. 

He grunts and breathes through the pain as he sits up, gasping as he pulls on his stitches. He manages to throw a leg over the edge of the couch, which helps him push the rest of himself up, sitting up against the back of the sofa. He keeps the movement around his other arm at a minimum, not wanting to flare up his shoulder joint.

Miles makes an upset noise when he comes back into the room with the water. “Double _ D _, what the heck, man?”

“Foggy’s almost here,” He mumbles after taking a sip. “He has someone with him.”

“He does?” Miles sounds surprised. So, he doesn’t know who it is, either.

“I don’t- What happened?” Matt asks. “With the Super Collider, I mean.”

“It was destroyed.” Miles tells him. “It blew up.”

Matt sighs and lets his head fall back against the sofa. “Good.” He reaches up to pull off his mask but Miles stops him.

“Not a great idea.” He insists. Matt makes a confused noise.

“Daredevil,” A firm voice says from the kitchen. It was the other person, the one May was with. She’s still in the kitchen, making herself some tea by the sounds and smells of it.

The thing is, Matt knows that tone of voice. He hates that tone of voice. He also recognizes the fact that the man currently has a gun on his belt, along with handcuffs in a pocket and a metal badge.

He heaves out a sigh. “Miles. Kid. Why is there a cop in your house? Didn’t I-- Didn’t I tell you about cops?”

“He’s, uh. He’s my dad.” Miles explains softly. Matt attempts to fully measure the weight of that statement.

“Ah.” He’s never really learned much about Miles’s family life. He knows, from bits and pieces picked up in conversation, that he has a mom and a dad and no siblings, he lives in Brooklyn, he’s starting high school in the fall, and he really wants to get a dog. He’s never known much more than that. He’s never really asked.

“Does he know?” He asks. That’s probably what’s going to give Matt what he needs to form a strong opinion on his father.

Miles hesitates, but nods. “Yeah. He found out last night, but yeah.”

“And it’s okay?”

“Yeah. It’s okay.”

Matt nods. Then he reaches up and pulls off his mask with a wince. 

“Call me Matt,” He says in the direction of Miles’s dad. Miles gasps a little, his heart hammering in his chest. May makes a startled noise from where she's eavesdropping.

The cop is surprised, too. He says it in his body language. He wasn’t expecting the level of trust Matt has in Miles, apparently. Either that or he recognizes him. Perhaps a little of both. 

“Jefferson Davis,” He offers back. “So, you’re... friends... with my son?”

Miles is looking up at his dad with equal parts curiosity and defensiveness. Matt reaches over and pats him on the shoulder reassuringly, which does make Miles relax. “I have.” He has to force a polite tone, only because he’s injured, in an unfamiliar place, and now there’s a cop he doesn’t know right in front of him. Who knows his face and his name.

Davis makes a face that Matt can’t really make out. “Could I ask a few questions about this vigilante stuff?”

“Uh,” Matt’s eyebrows knit together. “Pardon?”

“Not right now, I actually do have to leave soon, got called in, but when this is over?” He sounds earnest. Genuine. His heart rings true to these assumptions. “Whatever ‘this’ is, at least. Still not entirely sure what’s going…” He rubs at the back of his neck and takes a deep breath, puffing his chest out and looking to Miles, now. “And, you know, that’s okay! Because I am an accepting father and I trust in you to uh. Fix things.”

Miles laughs, pressing a hand to his mouth. Davis deflates slightly and frowns. “What?”

“No-- It’s nothing Dad,” He grins up at him. “Just-- I love you.”

Davis smiles right back. “I love you, too.” He says, and glances down at his watch. “Oh shoot. I’m almost late.” He walks past Miles and ruffles his hair, making him swat at his hand and duck away. Davis’s posture softens but he frowns.

“Miles, listen to me. I need you to let me know when you need help.” Miles opens his mouth but his dad cuts him off. “Nope. You tell me when you need backup, got it? I don’t have to be the first choice, but when it’s too much, you just call me or text me or-- or Picaboo me. That’s what the kids are doing these days, right? Picaboo?”

Miles snorts. “Yeah, Dad. It’s Picaboo.” He hesitates, but eventually nods. “Okay. You’re backup.”

“Thank you, Miles.” He smiles and gives him a side hug. “Okay. I have to go, I’ll be home later. Be careful. Put yourself first. Don’t do anything too illegal.” He sounds fond and stern as he says this, his heart rate rising with each word.

“See ya.” Davis stares at Miles for a moment. “Dad?”

“Right. Okay. Be careful-- wait, I already said that--”

“Dad.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Davis nods decisively. “Wait, you already are-- shoot--”

“Dad, just go!” Miles cries out as he starts pushing his dad towards the front door. “It’s fine. I’ll be okay. Go to work!”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Davis sighs heavily. “Just promise me--”

“Yes, I’ll be careful, I’ll stay safe, I won’t get too hurt, I’ll wash behind my ears, I’ll eat my greens-- Will you just _ go _already??”

“I love you!” Davis calls as Miles shoves him out of the front door and closes it in his face. 

Miles groans but does say a quiet, “I love you, too.” Matt hears Davis hesitate outside but he does walk down the steps and gets into his car.

“Is he gone?” Miles asks him, and Matt nods.

“He’s driving away now.” He tells him. “You’ve got a good dad, kiddo.”

“Yeah, I know.” Miles grins.

Matt wants to tell him to hold on tight and never take him for granted, but he’s sure Miles knows this. Just based on the tone of his voice, the way he was never really annoyed with him just then. It’s obvious he loves him.

“Is it safe to come out now?” May asks as she pokes her head in.

“Yeah,” Miles says. “No more big emotional talks for now. At least, I hope.”

“Thank God.” Matt sighs and lets his head fall back.

“Are you doing okay, Matthew?” May asks as she moves to sit in the armchair directly next to him.

“Fine,” He tells her. He’s really not. His wounds are throbbing and his shoulder aches so bad and he’s disoriented from being somewhere unfamiliar and the smell of antibiotics and rubbing alcohol mixing with the smell of blood on his skin is making him sick. “Just want Foggy to get here faster, to be honest.” That one isn't a lie, at least. He’s only a couple blocks away, now, both him and his friend walking quietly. Matt desperately wants to smell him and maybe steal his suit jacket.

May is giving him her laser eyes. “Are you sure?”

Matt knows she knows she’s not getting a better answer out of him. “Yes.” He can feel her gearing up in an attempt to get him to take some medication, so he changes the subject. “Why is Maria Castle on the roof?”

“She’s the one that brought all IV and antibiotics and stuff for you.” Miles explains. “I called her and explained and she just came right over with all this stuff. She’s only sticking around because I asked.”

Matt mulls this over. He hates that Miles and Maria have interacted in any measure, and he really hates that he indirectly had to go to her for help with anything, and he really, really hates that she actually did help him, but… he supposes he’s grateful for her basically saving his life. Kind of. And he’s grateful she’s staying for Miles’s sake, at least.

“Woah,” Miles breathes. “It’s like, you just went through the seven stages of grief in like, ten seconds.”

“It’s a talent, really, with how many emotions he can go through in a thirty second span.” May hums in amusement. 

Matt mugs at both of them for a good minute before Foggy knocks on the door.

“I’ll get it,” May says as she stands. On the roof, Maria pauses in her sweep of the street and listens to two at the door.

May makes a surprised noise when she opens the door. “Foggy. Matt--”

“Hold that thought. I need to go tell my Matt off for getting shot.” Foggy tells her and walks right in. Matt smiles a little at the possessive. His Foggy. 

Then he smells the other person.

Immediately, he’s on edge. This man- whoever this man is, he’s bad news. He smells bad. Wrong. Just so, so terribly wrong. He can’t for the life of him figure out why, though. He can’t single out a single reason.

Foggy finds his way into the living room, sighing when he sees him. “Matty, why?”

“Foggy,” He tilts his head. “Who is that with you?”

The man enters the room. About 5’10”, between 190 and 220 pounds. Lots of muscles. Light facial hair. Short hair, slightly curly. Glasses. He’s wearing a suit, one of _ Foggy’s _suits, it’s too big on him. He has a drawstring back tossed over his shoulder. Smells of smokey cologne, spandex and wrong, he’s wrong, he’s so wrong. 

Miles gasps when he sees him. How come they recognize him but Matt doesn’t?

It doesn’t even matter, because all Matt can fucking think about is how wrong he is. Just-- he can’t even describe it. He smells like something unknown, and unknown is bad. Even the texture of his skin against the air currents make Matt’s skin tingle and the hair on the back of his neck raise up.

Matt tries to stand. Instead he just moves an inch off the couch, groans in pain, and falls back down.

“I told you so.” Foggy shakes his head. The other man laughs. Matt feels his blood boil.

“Who are you?” He spits, twisting his face into a snarl.

“Matty, be nice.” Foggy tells him. He growls. Foggy raises an eyebrow. He lowers his head a little but doesn’t stop baring his teeth.

“Chill out, young one. I’m not going to bite your friend.” The Bastard says. “Well, not _ much _ .” _ That _ tone of voice belongs nowhere _ near _Foggy, unless it’s Matt doing it.

“Not helping!”

“You’re drawing this out too long,” May crosses her arms. “Matt Murdock, meet Matt Murdock.”

“Excuse me?” Matt hisses. “You can’t seriously think this guy is _ me _.”

“I don’t know, I think we look pretty similar.” The guy says with a tone of amusement in his voice. Foggy face palms.

“Yeah, Matt, he’s you.” Foggy sounds exasperated. “Remember? From when you fell into the Collider? Opened up different dimensions?”

Matt quickly turns his head in Miles’s direction with a frown. Miles holds his hands up. “Wait, I didn’t get a chance to explain!”

“Oh my _ God _,” Foggy throws his hands up. “I’m retiring. I’m retiring and I’m moving to Tahiti and no vigilantes are invited to join me, ever. Yes, even you, Murdock.” He points at Matt’s alternate self.

“C’mon, Fogs, would you really pass up an opportunity to be alone together, just _us_, on a beautiful island?” Murdock leans closer to him, all charming and charismatic.

“Shut up.” Matt moves his face towards Murdock’s direction. “He’s _ taken _.”

Murdock tilts his head and moves his head towards Foggy, who holds up his left hand, wiggling his ring finger. “Oh. Married. Debbie?”

“I have no idea who that is. No, dude, it’s Dumbo over there.” Matt shows off his ring with a smirk, which he has on good intel is silver and he knows has engraved braille markings on the inside. Foggy smiles fondly and it’s like music to Matt’s ears.

Murdock seems to need a minute to process this. “This is _ terrible _.” He groans, putting his head in his hands.

“Are you and your Mr. Nelson just friends?” Miles asks.

“Yeah,” Murdock sighs sadly. Wait, _ sadly _ ? “I’ve been flirting for years and he _ still _thinks it’s a joke.”

“Aw,” Foggy says, patting Murdock’s shoulder. “Cheer up, dude. He’ll come around.”

Murdock whines a little. “I even broke things off with Peter so I could show him I’m willing to commit. He thought I meant commit to the _ firm _.”

“Peter? You mean Peter _ Parker _?”

“Don’t forget the B. He gets tingey when you forget it.”

Miles gasps a little. “You’re from B’s universe?! Oh my gosh!!”

“Wait, what? Are you sure it’s the same one?”

“Spider-Man, old guy, bit of a gut, smells like pizza and regret?”

Murdock laughs. “Yeah, that’s Peter. At least, now. He used to be pretty fit, back in the day.”

“Sorry but are we all just going to gloss over the fact that this guy just implied he dated his Peter?” Matt points out. His stomach feels queasy just thinking about it.

Foggy makes a noise. A very bad noise. May is frowning. Even Miles wrinkles his nose. 

“What? Is there something wrong with that?” Murdock sounds genuinely confused.

“We knew Peter since he was a _ teen _.” Foggy tells him. “He was like family.”

Matt clenches his fists. “He _ was _ . Not just _ like _.”

Murdock doesn’t fixate on that part, though. “Past tense.”

“Yeah. Past tense.” Matt spits, perhaps more vicious than he should have. May crosses her arms over her torso and Miles’s heart stutters.

“I’m sorry.” Murdock says quietly. “Really.”

Matt huffs and crosses his arms, careful of his IV. Miles shuffles his feet and looks away.

“Foggy, you said there is a Spider-Man, though?” Murdock says, carefully trying to steer away from Peter. 

“That’d be-”

“Me.” Miles speaks up. “I’m Spider-Man.”

Murdock moves his head towards Miles’s direction. “Nice to meet you, Spider-Man.”

Matt wants to get up and shove Miles behind him, but right now the best he can do is reach out and grab his wrist, pulling him onto the couch with him with only a moderate amount of pain. “Back off.”

“He’s one of your people, then?”

“He’s no ones.” Matt corrects angrily. “Back _ off _.”

“He’s not going to try to steal your protege, Matt.” Foggy says.

“He’s not my protege and I’m not his mentor. We’re just sometimes partners. I don’t care about him. Stay away from him.”

Murdock smiles like the bastard he is. “What’s your name, kid?”

“I’m Miles.”

“Don’t talk to him, Miles.”

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

Murdock whistles low. “You’re younger than Pete was when he started.”

“I’m not _ that _young.”

“Maybe not. Hey, has he ever shown you how to throw knives?”

Miles, in a fit of betrayal, lights up. “He hasn’t!”

Before Matt can promise to show him if he stops, Castle climbs through the window. May tenses, Foggy’s heart rate speeds up, but Miles gives her a _ smile _. 

Huh. Now that just wouldn’t do.

“Oh,” Murdock tilts his head to the side, gauging how he should react from how everyone else . “I was wondering when you would come down.”

“Just checking in,” She says before she actually turns around and sees the issue in the room. To her credit, she doesn’t even freak out. “Huh. Weird.”

“Maria,” Matt greets her politely.

“Red,” She returns with poorly masked amusement. “How long have you been awake?”

“Too long.” He mutters and Maria hums in amusement. Miles squirms the wrist in his grasp and he releases him, letting the kid leap up and bound over to Maria.

“We need to go look for more soon,” Miles says. “You’re still coming with us, right?”

“Of course,” She says, her rough voice softening and her muscles relaxing. “Said I would, didn’t I?”

Miles bounces on the balls of his feet. Somehow, even with Maria’s stature, he’s not quite as tall as her. “Cool.”

“Are you the Punisher?” Murdock asks, tilting his head. Maria tenses up again and shifts into a defensive stance.

“Yeah,” She answers quietly. “I am.” Murdock doesn’t follow his question up with anything, just a knit brow and a frown.

“Hey, Cherry, are you coming with us?” Miles pipes up.

The whole room turns to look at Murdock, who straightens up. “You talking to me?”

“Yeah,” Miles nods. “It’s a nickname, only ‘cause we can’t just go around having two Matts.”

“Why Cherry?” Matt has to ask.

“He has flaming red hair,” Foggy explains. “The reddest I’ve ever seen, not counting MJ. You’re a carrot top, but he’s just pure redhead.”

“So he’s called Cherry.” Miles says.

Cherry purses his lips but doesn’t argue. Matt almost feels bad for the guy. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll come. Only because I’m not so sure I’d come out alive if I was left alone in a room with him.” He makes a head gesture towards Matt. Matt scowls. He does not feel anything but hatred for Cherry. Foggy covers up a laugh with a cough.

“I’m coming too,” Matt screws his eyes shut and clenches his jaw as he starts to push himself onto his feet, and is immediately wrought with pain and yelps of protest. He cries out and is gently lowered back onto the sofa by three different people.

“Matt, stay _ down _.” Foggy orders.  
“I-- I have to--” He groans and winces, pressing a palm to his shoulder. “I--” He bites his tongue as he struggles with the hands on him.

“Matt, hey. Matt. Listen to me.” He stops, his chest heaving with his labored breaths, his forehead already beading with sweat from the short exertion. Cherry is right in between Foggy and Miles, leaning down close to him, his mouth close to his ear. “Even if you could stand, which you definitely cannot, you can’t even fight. So stop struggling.”

Matt cringes away from him, feeling the truth in every word. He is useless right now. There’s no way he’s fighting like this. “But listen. If you just wait, just a few days, you can help. Okay? Just wait. Focus on healing. Mind controls the body, yeah? Use your mind to heal the body, just for now.”

He frowns but relents, relaxing against the couch. His stitches are all in place, still, but are irritated like hell. Shit. That’s gonna make it harder to sleep.

Foggy sighs loudly and very carefully restrains himself from yelling at Matt by grinding his teeth together. It works the same way, really. “I need to get to work, I’m meeting with a client in a couple hours. Matt, are you going to be good and stay horizontal?”

“Can I be slightly vertical only sometimes?” He asks weakly. Foggy is definitely giving him a hard glare. “_ Yes _, I’ll be good.”

Foggy gives him a once over and nods sharply at May, who returns it. “I’ll keep him company. Can’t promise good spirits, though.”

“That’s good enough for me. See everyone later, except for Cherry, assuming things go well. Matt, I’ll come take you home after work, okay?”

“Okay, Fogs.” He says. God, when did he get so tired? “Be safe.”

“You too, buddy.” He says with a really nice tone that makes Matt smile.

“See you, Mr. Nelson.” Miles calls after him. He waits until Foggy’s gone before turning to the others to make a game plan. 

Matt listens to the three of them talk and relaxes. This is going to be a long few days.


End file.
